If it were your house...Panel Choice

[peter d]

Fuses.......

 

[mdshunk]

Fuses.......

Busman actually makes a fuse panel that would work pretty well in a house. Square D makes a popular QMB panelboard, which features fuseholders, if you really wanted to get wacky. It looks sorta like an MCC.

 

[Minuteman]

I've been using Cutler's BR since back when they were called Westinghouse or Challenger. I've never had a problem with 'em.

 

[brian john]

I have fused mains with MLO SqD panels.

 

[peter d]

Busman actually makes a fuse panel that would work pretty well in a house. Square D makes a popular QMB panelboard, which features fuseholders, if you really wanted to get wacky. It looks sorta like an MCC.

That sounds pretty pricey. In that case I'd have to go with a BR style panel and the box of assorted GE, Murray, Westinghouse and other junk that I have.

 

[brian john]

Actually peter why not Zinsco?

 

[peter d]

Actually peter why not Zinsco?

Zinsco is non-existent in my area (southern New England). I have never encountered a single Zinsco breaker or panel. The only time I have ever heard of it being in existence here is in a particular plot of manufactured homes.

However, we do have plenty of FPE to go around.

 

[blueheels2]

For my house anything SquareD would be my first choice. 2nd would be GE. After that I wouldn't put anything else in. In a perfect world I would like a SquareD panel with the GE layout.

 

[brian john]

2nd would be GE

CH I would not use GE on a bet, in my house.

 

[quogueelectric]

CH I would not use GE on a bet, in my house.

Come on a million bucks?? And ill throw in a fluke ir thermometer just to check them.:grin:

 

[SiddMartin]

SQD QO, good quality

 

[quogueelectric]

We should post a poll of opinion of all the major mfgs of best to worst from our experience in descending order.

 

[mivey]

Square D QO for me.

 

[LarryFine]

CH I would not use GE on a bet, in my house.

My house already had CH when I moved in, and I have no complaints.

I did opt for a four-space/eight-circuit GE panel with eight 1/2" breakers for my home-theater sub-panel, because the guts are mounted off-center enough for a contactor to fit inside. That kept me from having to build a power-switching box.

Here are pics of the panel and what's below it:

The yellow RCA cord feeds one of the switched 12v outputs of the preamp/processor (which functions as main system on-off) to a 12v reed relay, which switches 120v to a 10a cube relay, both of which are in a plastic box inside the panel.

The cube relay controls a 4-pole, 25a contactor, which switches four of the 15a circuits. They supply (1) the switched electronics, (2) the 300w x 2 amp that powers the main speakers, (3) the 200w x 5 amp that powers the center, sides, and rears, and (4) the two 300w amps built into the main speakers, each on a 15" subwoofer.

There's an unswitched circuit that supplies the pre/pro, DVD player, the DTV TiVo, and other stuff that should have constant power, and another that provides power to the ceiling-mounted CRT projector. The last two circuits will one day power automated lighting and such.

 

[frenchelectrican]

As Far the breaker box for my home I used NQOD 20" wide tubs and they have dangbat good bussbar set up on that one.

But in my shop I used SqD NF series due I have 480/277 3? system in there allready.

For majorty of resdentail useage it pretty much split 50-50 between the SqD or Cutter-Hammer products ditto with commercal side as well.

GE breakers is bottom of my peferance list sorta like bottom of totom pole.

Semins is pretty good but not been useing their products for while but i can able get it pretty easy.

Merci,Marc

 

[Teaspoon]

I like Simmens they are a good panel for the money, when you consider the breakers that come with them when you buy a contractor or Value pack.
Square D QO is probably about the best panel on the market.99%of the panels I use are simmens.Haven't had any major issues with them
But no Homeline panels for me.

 

[ultramegabob]

If price were no option, I guess I would go with Square D bolt in, but QO is fine and I like Cutler Hammer also.

 

[220/221]

I have never been a big QO fan.

I have 3 houses.....well, two houses and a cabin.

One Siemans and 2 have CH BR's

I think Siemans, CH BR and Homeline are pretty much the same....but wait....I just remembered..... the new Seimans have copper bus, so I change my vote. Yay copper!

 

[Rampage_Rick]

SqD QO for me...

i like the pretty color when a breaker trips.

I like to trip them by hand with a good whack just to see the pretty orange flags. If you really want to shine someone on, you can write messages in binary on the shelf at your supplier.

10100.1.1011.101.1101.11001.10111.1001.110.101.10000.1100.101.1.10011.101
"take my wife please" in compressed ASCII

I've been using Cutler's BR since back when they were called Westinghouse or Challenger. I've never had a problem with 'em.

Originally BRyant? The blue-handled tandems are the bane of my existance. All but the most recent years were flat-blade screwdriver only, and if you're just a bit off center you'll crack the casing off. The ones that had a pukey white casing are my least favorite of all.

 

[iwire]

The cube relay controls a 4-pole, 25a contactor, which switches four of the 15a circuits. They supply (1) the switched electronics, (2) the 300w x 2 amp that powers the main speakers, (3) the 200w x 5 amp that powers the center, sides, and rears, and (4) the two 300w amps built into the main speakers, each on a 15" subwoofer.

But does it go to 11?

: "You see, most blokes will be playing at 10. You’re on 10, all the way up, all the way up...Where can you go from there? Nowhere. What we do, is if we need that extra push over the cliff...Eleven. One louder." DiBergi: "Why don’t you just make 10 louder and make 10 be the top number, and make that a little louder?" Nigel (after taking a moment to let this sink in): "These go to 11."